It is often necessary to monitor the temperature of containers and materials contained within containers that are manufactured in and distributed through a manufacturing or shipping facility. Creation of certain materials, such as liquids or chemicals, often require that certain factors in the environment in which they are created are controlled in a stringent manner to ensure that the materials are created properly and with the necessary quality. Variables in the environment, such as temperature, can have a substantial bearing on whether or not the materials are being manufactured properly and distributed in the proper manner.
In particular, the temperature of either the container itself or the materials contained in the container needs to be ascertained during the distribution and/or shipping process to ensure that the correct environment temperature is being maintained. It may be that a precise temperature at a particular point in the distribution channel is required, or that the environment temperature remains within a certain acceptable range. For example, if the container is a keg containing beer, the temperature of the beer may need to be at a certain specific temperature or within a certain temperature range to ensure that the brewing process and/or subsequent transport of the beer is performed according to specifications for the process and quality control.
Another problem is that the temperature of the container and/or its contents is manually ascertained in certain processes. In such processes, an operator must measure the temperature of either each container or a sample of its contents to ensure that it is proper. Because distribution facilities distribute large volumes of containers, it is usually not feasible for an operator to check each container and/or its contents for temperature. Instead, operators test samples. As with all sampling methods, there is chance for error. The sample measured may have the correct temperature, but another sample that was not measured may not have the correct temperature.
There exists a need for a communication device to be associated with the container that can measure the temperature of the container and/or its contents and to remotely communicate this temperature during the distribution process. In order to properly communicate the temperature associated with a particular container, it is also necessary that the remote communication device be able to communicate an identification indicia to identify a particular container from others. The remote communication device associated with the container would cross the range of an interrogation reader along the distribution and/or shipping process whereby temperature indicia and/or an identification indicia associated with the container can be communicated.
Temperature measurements may need to be made periodically by the remote communication device so that the temperature is measured throughout at various times. The temperature measured may need to be communicated immediately or simply be recorded in the remote communication device for a later historical analysis.
Temperature measurements may need to be made to determine whether or not the temperature associated with a container exceeds a certain level or falls below what is required. If the temperature is above an acceptable maximum level or the temperature falls below an acceptable minimum level, the materials contained within the container may be substandard. This information is communicated so that this particular container can be pulled from distribution or further inspected for quality and acceptability.
Yet another problem exists in that the remote communication device may not have its own power source. If a remote communication device does not have its own power source, such as a battery, and it is not in the range of an interrogation reader such that it is energized for energy, the remote communication device cannot perform temperature measurements that are required when the remote communication device in outside the range of an interrogation reader. For example, periodic temperature measurement may be required at times when the remote communication device is not in the range of an interrogation reader. Temperature readings below a minimum threshold and/or above a maximum threshold may occur at any time and not just when the remote communication device is in the range of an interrogation reader.